THE 360° PARTICIPATION GAME

This game can help create ideas, understand how to make decisions and understanding society.

RESOURCES

Visual Aid (in this case a land picture)

Role cards (cartoon or local/national characters)

flipchart paper

coloured pens

ROLES

YOUTH (White)

ENVIRONMENTALISTS

RESIDENTS

YOUTH WORKERS

BIG BUSINESS

AUTHORITY

TIME

180+

You are all interested in the future use of a piece of derelict land and have come together to make some decisions.

TASK A

Plenary: Using the 1 – 5 method, divide the large group into 6 small groups.

Give each group a copy of the land picture.

Invite each group to pick a Role card.

Facilitator explains Role cards.

In groups, discuss land use options from the perspective of their Role.

Conclude with a single Proposal.

Draw a simple picture of your Proposal [use flipchart paper]

30 mins

Plenary: create Picture Gallery of Proposals. [spread around room]

Whole group walks around to survey the Proposals.

Everyone should individually write remarks regarding the Proposals on sticky notes and then post them on Proposal sheets.

15 mins

TASK B

Groups: Now get whole group to self-organise so that 5 new groups contain one representative from each of the six Roles.

Each person presents their original group’s Proposal and other group members may ask questions for clarification. [max 3 mins each]

The group must then develop a set of criteria by which to assess the ideas presented. [use flipchart paper] 30 mins

Plenary: each group presents their Criteria. [these will go on the wall later]

Take questions for clarification.

10 mins

BREAK

TASK C

Groups: Back in same groups, opportunity to revise Criteria.

Using Criteria, pick 2 Proposals that will go to a vote.

Using the Voting Cards, the FACILITATOR will tell you how many votes each person has.

Members cast their votes for the chosen 2 Proposals: if they have 1 vote they must choose, if 2 or more votes they can split them or apply them to just one choice, if 0 votes then they cannot vote.

It may be necessary to negotiate.

You have a winner from your group.

Group appoints an Advocate for their Proposal.

15 mins

Plenary: the group winners are announced.

No discussion at this stage.

5 mins

TOWN HALL MEETING

Plenary: Whole group sits in a circle.

In turn, each Advocate steps into the middle of the circle and presents their group’s proposal. [5 mins each]

At the end of the presentations, everyone walks over and stands in front of the Proposal for which they are voting.

Are there any abstensions?

The People’s Choice is declared.

40 mins

Plenary: now debrief.

How did you decide TASK A (picking a Proposal)?

How did you feel about your Role in TASK A: did you easily empathise?

Why do you think you were asked to adopt a particular persona?

Regarding TASK B, if you were excluded from group voting, how did it feel?

How did it feel knowing that some people were excluded?

How did it feel when everyone could vote?

Which other stakeholders can you identify?

Questions?

20 mins

VOTING

The group voting regime is very simple: as all the Roles for TASK A have been assigned a colour (above), just use a jumbled up Rubik’s Cube to determine how may of each Role is represented in each of the second groups for TASK C. The selection is random and potentially imbalanced, and some Roles may not be eligible to vote simply because their colour is not on the face of the Rubik’s Cube assigned to their group – that’s tough but then so is the real world.

EVALUATION

What was the most difficult part of the Activity and why?

What was the easiest or most enjoyable part of the Activity and why?

What have you learned?

THE 360° PARTICIPATION GAME

Whilst the use of cartoon characters is whimsical, the voices they represent may be varied depending on local context. Fictional characters make the game fun but you could substitute with images of politicians or local celebrities. In fictional form they represent stereotypes of stakeholders, real or potential, when issues of community facility use, or contemporary issues, are under consideration. When working with your groups you may wish to identify other potential stakeholders and decide if they can participate. In other contexts, for example service provision, the Roles could represent separate services where there is competition for reducing resources. The 360° PARTICIPATION GAME enables groups to explore sophisticated themes, ideas, and issues in the context of an engagement process that seeks to be inclusive but recognises that in the real world some groups are excluded, some voices unheard. Other voices may be identified and represented, its your game.